The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

To better understand - When there is discussion on the advantages of a higher Mega Pixel camera, it is mentioned that you "have more to work with". Along that line, is the following correct?

If a picture is blown up, either in total or through a Crop, as the picture gets bigger would Pixelation occur sooner with (say) a 12 MP camera then (say) one with 36MP? Or, is there more to it then just MPs.

Thanking you in advance for your response

melismus Loc: Chesapeake Bay Country

Yep.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Something else to consider is at higher mpix, you will need to have lens that can resolve the image well enough to take advantage of the extra pixels....not much sense having more mpix if the image is soft. There is also an odd effect at higher mpix that has to do with VERY slight camera shake that makes the image look slightly off where a lower mpix camera would simply blend the edges of the pixels. I am not an expert and there are other uhh'ers that can explain it......hopefully they will :-)

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

With a 36mp camera you can get a much larger image then a 12mp can produce.

cedymock Loc: Irmo, South Carolina

This link may help

http://digitalphotographylive.com/megapixels-vs-print-size/

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Yes you are more likely to see pixels if you make a large print. Proper denoising and sharpening will lessen the impact.

However, when you go to the local multiplex theater, do you see any pixels from the 8.8 mp image?

I wouldn't worry about this if I were you. There is more to it. And having more pixels gives you more cropping flexibility provided you are using sharp lenses.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

This a good resource for determining what image resolution you need for a given print size:

http://www.photokaboom.com/photography/learn/printing/resolution/1_which_resolution_print_size_viewing_distance.htm

tinplater Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

For what it's worth I begin to see pixelation at 3:1 enlargement with both A6000 and M7R2 on just a random sampling of images.

mrpentaxk5ii

What do you consider a large print.....for some that only have an 8x10 on the wall an 11x17 might be a large print for others it may be half a wall.

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

I appreciate the responses I've received, but I think some are making more of the question then needed.

IF I started to enlarge/blow-up a picture, and keep making it bigger and bigger and bigger, at some point pixels would appear (maybe holding it 12-24 inches away). Would I start to see pixels in the picture sooner when the picture was taken with a 12 mp camera....then I would with (say) a 36 mp camera?

I don't have a high count MP camera at my disposal so I can't test myself.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Yes.

But are you making the picture bigger and bigger in a crop of the original image?

But it would have to be a very large print and/or shot at high ISO And if you step back from the large print magic happens - the pixelation goes away. If you shoot at based ISO and your image is properly exposed, you aren't going to see pixels at 12-24 inches under normal circumstances.

The images below simulates what you are asking - take a full sized image and make it really big - I took a detail crop out of each to show whatever pixels may be there. At 400% you don't see pixels, but at 800% you start to see them.

I am not sure what you are trying to figure out, other that if you take a 12 mp picture and print it to 4 ft x 6 ft then you walk up to it and put your nose 12" away, will you see pixels at smaller magnifications than if you had used a 36mp image. You can blow up the image and make it really large, then walk up to it (magnifying it again by how close you are) and you will see pixels. However, as I stated earlier, what you see is completely related to VIEWING DISTANCE - so if you move away from the 12 mp image that was blown up to 4 ft x 6 ft - you will not see the pixels - because you can't. It's the reason why Apple can show a 12 mp image on a billboard and it looks fine, and a movie theater can project an 8.8 mp image to as much as 26x50 and even in the first row, you still won't see any pixels.

Yes is the answer, but still not sure what you are driving at. You can do the test at lower mp and compare.

full sized uncropped image, 36 mp, ISO 400.

(Download)

tiny detail crop (1.4 mp - 400%)

(Download)

really tiny detail crop - 225x212 px - upsampled to 2048x1931

(Download)

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

Gene51 - Really appreciate your efforts in replying.

Guess I'm just trying to see what one of the advantages of a high MP count camera could be. Regardless of how far away one might be (pick a distance), a higher MP camera will allow more latitude in detailing with a print. So if I am correct, any negative affect on the picture (pixelation) will be seen earlier on a (say) 12 MP then on a 36. Both could show it, but you'd see it first using a lower MP camera.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Back to the link I posted -

http://www.photokaboom.com/photography/learn/printing/resolution/1_which_resolution_print_size_viewing_distance.htm

It explains the relationship between image resolution, in pixels, viewing distance and human eyesight capabilities and limitations.

The main advantages of a high mp camera is fine detail capture and crop capability. You are more likely to see differences in a high mp image compared to a low mp image up close - or 12"-24" as you suggested. In the link you'll see that for a 4" x 6" image to look sharp - at an 11" viewing distance - you will need a ppi count of 313 - for a pixel count of 1252x1878, or 2.4 mp. By the same token, a 40x60 image can be perceived as sharp and "pixel free" with a resolution of 1280x1920, or 2.5 mp - about the same resolution as the small print - but only if viewed at the "normal" viewing distance of 9 ft. If you were to view a portion of the large print up close, say at a distance of 12"-24" you will definitely see pixels and other flaws. But no one other than the totally OCD photographer - will look at a large print that closely.

ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.

Quite simply the answer is yes. I see pixelation at crops on my 10mp camera sooner than on my 24mp. This translates to enlargements showing the same. People are over complicating this.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Take a D3 with 12 Mp. and enlarge a file to 20x24 inches. You will see excellent details in your enlargement. Use another camera with 12 Mp. (D300) and you will not see so much details like with the D3.
Take a modern 36 Mp. camera and use a lens made for film in the 80's. If your technique is good ALL details will be present in the file.
Experience has taught me that.